Sunday, February 21, 2016

Director Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight To Be Released As DVD And Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Editions From Anchor Bay Entertainment On Mar. 29

Anchor Bay Entertainment announced this past week that auteur filmmaker Quentin Tarantino’s The
Hateful Eight will be arriving as DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
selections on Mar. 29.

The ARR is 95 days — incidentally, that’s the identical
number for both Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Concussion and Warner
Bros. Home Entertainment’s Point Break, which are also set for
delivery to the home entertainment market place on Mar. 29.

After holding steady at around 115 days throughout 2013,
2014 and the first half of 2015 (a two-and-a-half year period), the studios
(including non-studio participants with theatrical hits) appear to be
consciously shortening the release window between a film’s initial theatrical
debut and its subsequent release to home entertainment.

Couple this with the immerging — and somewhat disturbing —
trend of fewer films reaching the $25 million mark at the box office and you
have to wonder if the current players in “Hollywood” are on a death march being
driven by VOD.

As to The Hateful Eight, it doesn’t help
that on the run-up to the film’s launch Quentin Tarantino took to the airwaves
with an anti-cop rant. Whether that cut
into the domestic box office take of $53.4 million remains to be seen.

His two previous films, Django Unchanged pulled in $162.8
million during its stateside theatrical run in 2012 and Inglourious Basterds
chimed in with $120.5 million back in 2009.All three films were released during the same December time frame.

There’s nothing wrong with the film, perhaps a little long —
clocking in at 168 minutes — but the Western/mystery script, complete with an
outstanding cast (including Tarantino regular Samuel L. Jackson) makes this
Tarantino film entry a keeper.And,
being shot in 70mm makes it absolutely gorgeous.

As to bonus goodies, there are two featurettes — “Beyond the
Eight: A Behind-the-Scenes Look” and “Sam Jackson’s Guide to Glorious
70mm.”No word as of right now as to
whether Anchor Bay Entertainment will enter the 4K Ultra HD market with The
Hateful Eight — it seems the perfect candidate.